Man fined RM54k for transporting illegal foreigners, unlawful passport possession

KUCHING: The Sessions Court imposed a fine of RM54,000 on a man for transporting five illegal foreigners in a van and the unlawful possession of an Indonesian man’s passport two years ago.

Hii, 44, pleaded guilty to the two charges before Judge Iris Awen Jon at the end of the trial on Wednesday (Dec 13).

For the first charge, he was fined RM50,000, in default six months in jail, under Section 55 (1) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, for allowing five foreigners, aged between 21 and 43, to be in the van.

In the second charge, he was fined RM4,000, in default five weeks in jail, under Section 12(1)(f) of the Passport Act 1966 (Act 150), for illegally possessing the passport of an Indonesian man.

The offences occurred in the parking area in front of a budget hotel at King Centre around 7.53am on Aug 27, 2021.

During an ‘Ops Serkap’ raid, conducted by the Sarawak Immigration Department enforcement team, a van with suspicious passengers was detained.

Subsequent inspections revealed that five passengers did not possess valid travel documents, leading to their detention. Additionally, an Indonesian passport belonging to Bandang was found hidden under the driver’s seat.

Deputy public prosecutor Kong Siew Chuo prosecuted the case, while Hii was represented by counsels Chan Khoon Moh and Claesmine Yeo.